39: Why Kia Isn't Slowing Down on EVs in America, with James Bell

James Bell is the head of PR and comms for Kia in America, and he's overseen the brand evolve from being a budget/used car alternative into a premium competitor, particularly in the EV space. Hot on the heels of announcing the affordable EV3 for the US, James speaks with Max to discuss how Kia isn't letting up on its EV platforms and strategy despite the doom and gloom of some US market forecasters. In fact, he's quite confident EVs are an inevitable future for passenger transport, even if some of his colleagues at other OEMs are taking big writedowns and blaming EVs for strategy failures.Max and James go over- Kia's reinvention as a premium, tech-forward brand competing with European auto- The Georgia plants where many Kia are built in the US and consumers wanting desirable product regardless of origin- The new EV3 which competes with the Bolt and Nissan LEAF as an affordable but desirable compact car- His experience almost running out of range in a tiny Mercedes B-class electric during the very early days of EVs🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platformResources and Links:Check out the new Kia EV3⚡ Stay Plugged InSupport EVs for All America (and buy our merch!)